Starting an Internet Business Without a Website - 2/1/2007 4:23:28 PM

by Ana Rincon

Is it possible? You bet. Several business models exist that can help you create income online without investing a cent in building or maintaining a Web site. Here are three of them:

Ebay Business
Listing merchandise to sell on ebay requires nothing more than a computer, internet connection and a means of producing digital images. Even the physical possession of the merchandise itself is optional if you use a drop-shipper. Once you become an active seller, you can ease into a Web site by opening your own ebay store for as little as $5 per month to promote additional items.

Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs can be promoted with or without a Web site. To entice people to click on your affiliate link without having a Web site requires you to either:  promote the link through advertising  have your link included in someone else’s website, or  use direct marketing such as an e-mail newsletter.

One popular advertising model involves purchasing pay-per-click keywords on Google or Overture, and using your affiliate code in the link to send people directly to the affiliate merchant. The trick, of course, is to spend less on PPC advertising than you make with the affiliate program.

There are also affiliate programs that create an identical Web site or Web page for each of their affiliates. These mini-sites are created automatically when you sign up, and require no work or maintenance on your part. Your job is to drive traffic to the mini-site with advertising or search engine marketing.

Digital Goods
Although this model is certainly enhanced by having a Web site, it is not absolutely essential. Both e-books and software are digital products that can be downloaded online, and no inventory or shipping is required. Computer software and e-books can both be sold by third-party services instead of your own Web site. Payloadz is one that lists your items in a online store automatically. Of course, you'll have to manage your listings, but there is no need to create the store itself.